SRO Pre-Selects 26 Pro Entries for Endurance Cup

Twenty-six entries for the Pro class of the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup have been pre-selected ahead of the season.

SRO Motorsports Group released the list of accepted entries on Tuesday, after announcing last year it would limit numbers in the top category in order to have an increased focus on Pro-Am, Am and Silver Cup entries.

A record number of 11 GT3 manufacturers are represented, including the series debut of the Lexus RC F GT3 and new models from Bentley and Nissan.

The grid cap will be in place for the Monza, Silverstone, Paul Ricard and Barcelona rounds, with an exception for the Total 24 Hours of Spa which couples as the second round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge.

Furthermore, any team fielding an additional Pro car at Spa will also be able to run it in the six-hour race at Paul Ricard on June 1-2.

“I am pleased to announce our pre-selection of 26 Pro entries for the Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup,” said SRO founder and CEO Stephane Ratel. “We made a firm commitment to this limit and I am glad to say that we are standing by our word.

“While it would have been possible to exceed this number in the Endurance Cup, it was more important to show our renewed commitment to Pro-Am racing.

“I have been involved with all-Pro championships before, which strengthens my belief in maintaining a balance between professional and non-professional drivers.

“I was pleased to hear the positive response we received when the cap was first revealed last year. I hope that there will be a similar reaction now that we have demonstrated the strength of our commitment.”

Jake Kilshaw is a UK-based journalist who is Sportscar365's European Editor and also Managing Editor for e-racing365. He is a student of Politics and International Relations and is a member of the Autosport Academy. Contact Jake

I wouldn’t call it downsizing just a change in priorities for Benz Customer Racing.

AKKA is more than capable of winning races and a championship as shown last season both in Sprint and Endurance, especially at Spa.

The jury is still out on Strakka. Though with a easier to setup and more reliable car than last year should improve things and maybe they can get back to the level they were at when they beat one of the best Acura teams straight up at Le Mans.

Good list. But hope this gamble increases more pro-am and am into Blancplain GT. Do firmly believe SRO have not done enough rules and regulations to help the other two to increase numbers. But time will tell!